Rings of Power S2 E7 Review | DON'T KISS YOUR FUTURE MOTHER-IN-LAW, ELROND! (Overall, ROP is Trash)

[@theemissary1313]

"I was there, Gandalf, I was there when the strength of Yoystan's optimism failed"

[@gabrialcanada6764]

The audience begged him to cast it into the fire but he declared no.

[@ellesartelcontar2387]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[@ruloniiidoman3719]

Tell me, where is Celeborn? For I much desire to speak with him. But seriously what is with adaptations that keep giving Galadriel romantic interests that aren't you know, HER HUSBAND? That's not even touching this recent nonsense.

[@eidolon-0696]

They're giving him the Anarion treatment. They acknowledged his existence...then promptly forgot tf about him.

[@unclephillymya]

He's in cancun Away from this nonsense

[@stevewarwick2103]

Celeborn has been ostracized from this show, its Gala-rond from hereon.

[@brodinism]

​@@unclephillymyaDon't do it to yourself, Phil.

[@JRivera473]

Celeborn got early word of the ROP and promptly fled for his life, and who can blame him?

[@rileycord1248]

I know the kiss was supposed to be a distraction but...the framing made it seem legit. Which makes Elronds marriage to Celebrian really...awful. Feels like "I can't have Galadriel so I'll have her daughter." by Eru it feels gross.

[@ourlordsauron]

And it looked like Galadriel didn't want him to stop once he pulled away, that was the clincher for me. It made me feel so gross

[@andystevens2772]

I think that was supposed to look believable to fool the viewer. If they make anything more of it I'll be disappointed, but I'm 99% sure it was to make people think "wtf" then later "ahh, it was a distraction!" I honestly think y'all are overthinking it.

[@xavierrose9283]

That kiss was not romantic at all. It was clearly only a distraction. I got nothing between them at all.

[@cholst1]

The framing AND the music played on it being romantic.

[@IoanCenturion]

Yeah it kinda made me think of the kiss between Nat and Steve in Winter Soldier. They're not romantically intertwined and at one point they kiss as a distraction so somebody doesn't recognize them. It's not shot seductively, the music doesn't swell, the camera focuses on the person looking for them missing them. It feels awkward because it was awkward. The kiss in ROP felt like it was meant to be romantic.

[@Lothiril]

Sauron shouldn't be able to control Elves to kill each other. He literally wanted to create rings to control the Elves because he couldn't do so otherwise.

[@zStC1]

Easily debunkable. He controlled their steel. Next lame complaint

[@leandrocarvalho7707]

@@zStC1 his comment says otherwise. He also seemed to stop the one Elf from speaking. He said something like “You’re not the only Elf I have power over now” implying that he is controlling their bodies, not their weapons. I think the whole point of making the rings is to dominate another’s will, which is a bit strange to see him doing here. Pretty OP to do it without any rings. But at least the series is kind of consistent, he seems to be able to “influence” Galadriel simply because of his time near her as well.

[@miratodc]

The same guy that got shanked by orcs loool makes no sense.

[@miratodc]

Sauron has Magneto powers? hahahahahahahahah shameless shill

[@leandrocarvalho7707]

@@miratodc yeah true, he should’ve been able to control the orcs and prevent them from killing him since he was around them all the time 😂 doesn’t make sense

[@GandalftheWhite12]

The orc’s in the end of the episode, just casually out running in the sunlight….kind of has the vibe “Danny kind of forgot about the iron fleet”

[@timothymartensen9040]

My first thought when they were out and about.

[@odinsett8824]

The elves lack class or grace.

[@TypeAndShadow]

Thank you! Yes that’s what irks me the most.

[@AliceBowie]

Yeah, they're doing the same thing with the elves that they did with the orcs. Trying to make them seem human. They missed the whole point of the different races of middle earth.

[@odinsett8824]

To cut to the point, the whole show lacks class or grace...

[@MadCaril]

a true representation of the show producers

[@JJ_LL]

Nobody named Odin can talk about class or grace.

[@nikolamihaylov94]

Comparing Celebrimbor to a hobbit is so on point man. As the grandson of Fëanor and his description by Tolkien I always imagined him to be a very tall, dark haired fair-faced elf, good mannered like Elrond but slightly more proud in character, also a great and fearsome warrior who fought and survived all the wars against Morgoth, and the destruction of 2 of the largest kingdoms of the elves who would fight fiercely to defend Eregion from Sauron. So calling him Grandmabrimbor in this show is so spot on.

[@jojobookish9529]

Right? Like, has anyone on the production team ever *seen* a real life blacksmith? That is hard work! Every single one I've met has been jacked in the arms and chest.

[@MintyCow101]

he looks like that in the shadow of war game! before he becomes a wraith :3

[@nikolamihaylov94]

@@MintyCow101 Yes I think they nailed the looks in the game, but not his character, they made him way too arrogant like you were talking to Feanor. Celebrimbor is described as being kinder than his grandfather, he respected all races and was actually friends with most of them, with the dwarves and Narvi being at the front. Also it was so stupid to introduce this stupid bromance between Elrond and Durin, when it should have always been the friendship between Narvi and Celebrimbor. But of course we can't expect lore accuracy nowadays, the showrunners think they can do better than the author.

[@Yeeyeeenation]

It made Battle of the Five Armies look really really really good

[@thewingedringer]

Battle of the Five Armies was pretty damn good. Nothing in RoP even lights a candle to it.

[@nitotech]

The Hobbit is a great collection of movies. I don't know why some fans hate it.

[@Yeeyeeenation]

@@nitotech I love all three. I just know the third one in particular gets a lot of hate

[@Broomtwo]

​@@nitotech 3 movies was too much, they had to make a bunch of nonsense up out of thin air just to extend the runtime. Compare that to the LotR trilogy where there was so much to cover they had to cut tons of things out. Also the CGI orcs were not as good as orcs in LotR movies. The movies are ok as mindless children's movies, but not significantly worse than the LotR trilogy. At least the Hobbit movies are 10000x better than this joke of a show.

[@beaverones41]

​@@nitotechThe first one was amazing, then sadly it got worse and worse.

[@AstroPC96]

When the kiss happened, I threw my Headphones across the room, got up and walked around the house in utter disbelief! I gave this joke of a show a fking chance, but it is just Trash!! 🗑️

[@luischua3135]

I literally pulled my own hair in that scene 😵

[@anovaguy]

Genuine question, after S1, as a LotR fan, why is anyone even giving S2 a chance?

[@philserna25]

Sucker born! Waste of time!!!

[@benpowel8884]

@@AstroPC96 aww 😢

[@hero0fcanton190]

A kiss as a distraction has been used a lot in stories.

[@TheJmlew11]

Doomed to die….. more like doomed to cringe. I literally yelled “THAT’S YOUR MOTHER IN LAW” when watching this with my friends.

[@ChrisGrahamkedzuel]

Same!

[@unclephillymya]

I felt like Michael Bay wrote that scene

[@NoahSprague]

Look the writers are just into that, as well as Ork on Ork action 😅

[@emildumitriu7296]

Not only. Finwe-Finarfin-Galadriel. Finwe-Fingolfin-Turgon-Idril-Earendil-Elrond. She is also his great great great aunt on his father side...

[@Tony-ci7ys]

Better than disliking one's mother-in-law ❤ More like mother-in-love! ❤

[@Herbert_Eder]

OK, forgetting about the lore heresy, that battle was just awful. - Hours (or days? there never is any sense of time in this show) after the attack began, there are still the same 12 people running left and right in the same place, like headless chicken, not like 100s or 1000s years old elves who have seen many wars. - Eregion is one of the elves strongholds in Middle-Earth and they have like 10 soldiers on the walls to defend the capital city? - Magic mountains and magic river ... oookeyyyy - Epic moment: The army of the elves appears. It looks like a decent sized, well armed and armored actual army. I am having hopes. - Cavalry attack stopped within 10 meters in front of the enemy line. Well that worked out great, looks like the army is very disciplined, can hold formation and magically stop gallopping horses instantly- fine. But very anti-climactic. Just when it started to get good it was already over. - Boring Galadriel escape takes ages - Cavalry decides to attack in dense forest. Not a great idea for cavalry. - Incompetent 12 elve soldiers on the wall need lowly smith apprentice to boss them around and make them aware of giant siege weapon - Asian elven lady does a Boromir - Orcs massacre elven army, alleged captain of the army Elrond sits in the mud and is sad, does nothing for 10 minutes of screen time (one hour in show time maybe?). - Elves do not retreat behind the walls after destroying the siege weapon. - Because Elrond is sad, elven king orders elves to form ranks. I am getting somewhat hopeful again. Those elves have proven to be highly disciplined and able to hold a formation, even in the middle of a cavalry attack. This is gonna be epic! - 7 elves do not get into formation, where is the rest of the hundreds or maybe thousands of the elven army? Are they all dead already? 7 elves jump into the mass of attacking orcs. Elrond is still sad. Worst battle ever. Compare this to the battle at Helm's Deep. The defenders are only human, not old and wise and experienced elven warriors. They are afraid, but they don their armour and weapons and man the walls, scared but ready to fight to the death. Women and children are terrified, but they do not go chicken, they hide and listen to what is happening outside. Nobody is running aimlessly left and right and left again for hours. The Uruks march in close formation and shout encouragement and bash their weapons against their shields and stomp their pikes like one man, none of them goes to their commander and asks in a whiny voice if they really have to attack this fortress, because, you know, many will die, and the union ... and safety regulations .... you know?

[@scotty455]

For the whole season, traveling from Lindon to Eregion was impossible. Not even to deliver the most important message in the history of middle earth. Just couldnt be done. Until it could...I guess

[@nyr14]

You didn’t see? Elrond unlocked fast travel for the elves after he made out with his mother in law. Yeah, the whole achievement blip and everything popped up on my Xbox😂😂

[@Chris-gd2qp]

I don't believe that the ROP showrunners are ignorant of the lore that they have been desecrating since the beginning. They know they are defiling Tolkien's world, they just dont care.

[@QCMP]

They are not defiling it, they are improving it.

[@markstott6689]

They don't give a damn for Tolkien. They never really have. 😢

[@Didymus20X6]

@@QCMP Do you mean, "IMPROVING" it?

[@QCMP]

@@Didymus20X6 Yes, other that the Hobbit and LOTR, Tolkien's stories don't have mass appeal. Which is why he couldn't get them published in his lifetime. RoP is bringing the Second Age to the masses by making it more entertaining.

[@Kalafinwë]

@@Didymus20X6 They are impovering it 😭

[@kreestuh4367]

I find it REALLY frustrating how they continually diminish Galadriel's character by: 1. Removing her wisdom and insight, even going so far as to have her team up with literal *orcs* and not telling her allies about Sauron immediately. 2. CONTINUALLY making her character about MEN. This is the SECOND time they've pulled some romance bait for a woman who is canonically focused on building her own realm out at this stage in the histories. Of course, she's also married, but... lkjfsdkljf. I'm also deeply upset by the missed opportunity that exists by their choice to seemingly remove both Celeborn and Celebrian. Celebrian, in particular. While we don't know much about her in the books, it seems like that relationship could've been an excellent one to explore. Just... urgh.

[@Chociewitka]

and she has an adult daughter of about 3000 years - or, if they compress the timeline, at least 300 and very adult already. and whom Elrond was in love with for half of her life already.

[@dinofelis9343]

​@@Chociewitkareally if you think about it, they should have made Celebrian the main character if the series.

[@Chociewitka]

@@dinofelis9343 that I was telling from the very beginning - but even if not, she should still be there - her absence break the overarching story

[@jrconway3]

@@Chociewitka Even Celebrian wouldn't fit very well, but she'd fit FAR better than Galadriel. We don't know much about Celebrian, but we see nothing at all to indicate she's any sort of warrior by any stretch of the imagination. One bad encounter with orcs has her kidnapped and tortured, which results in her sailing to the west. And this is about 2000 years after these series. If she was an experienced elven warrior she wouldn't suffer from such a fate. All evidence points to Celebrian being an elegant maiden, not a warrior. Making her a warrior would be a stretch, probably even more of a stretch than Galadriel. (Even though its a stretch for BOTH.) That being said, again, there's still not much known about Celebrian, so its far easier to justify, and she's far younger, which makes it far easier to explain away how she can get manipulated as well. Perhaps her experiences here lead her to desiring to live a quiet life with Elrond after the war. Its irrelevant now, though, because they went with Galadriel for name recognition.

[@Chociewitka]

@@jrconway3 well, it would be insofar make sense for Celebrian to be ambushed by orcs if they would have had previous grudges against her and set a trap for her specifically because she happened to be such an effective elvish orc hunter in her youth - if set up properly this could have worked - also why Arwen is later not allowed to be a warrior by her family afterwards to safe her from her mother's fate - this could have been played out in a way which would at least nominally fit the described lore

[@AlexisLopez-pb8ms]

I felt bad when Haldir died at Helms Deep and he only had a few minutes of screen time in Fellowship and two towers. The secondary elven characters in this show is so poorly developed.

[@lissamissa9]

I don't know how you stand to watch it. Even short clips are so cringe inducing I cannot watch them.

[@pinkace]

I don't understand that either. I enjoy the show for what it is, that's why I watch it. But watching something you hate? On purpose? Ridiculous.

[@Silversmith70]

​@@pinkace Does he hate the show? I haven't heard him say that but yes it would be rough to watch something you hate.

[@pinkace]

@@Silversmith70 not talking about Yoystan, he has a channel to run, he has to do it. I'm talking about all these people in the comments.

[@Didymus20X6]

@@pinkace I'm not watching the show. I'm watching Yoystan's reviews. Nerdrotic and Critical Drinker, too. I knew the show was going to be garbage from the beginning, so I'm getting entertainment from reviewers roasting it as it properly deserves.

[@zStC1]

​@@Didymus20X6 people like you are repulsive tbh, because of people like you we will likely never get another lotr TV series for our lifetime.

[@alexanderdumas-]

When she fell off that tower I was laughing so hard it felt very Monty Python-esque

[@TheLeg4tus]

I'm convinced this show has to be a Parody of Lotr. The moment with the female elf getting shot like 5 times, instantly after saying " i only have xArrows left", and then trying to force a Boromir moment had me burst out laughing so hard. Peak comedy

[@Dilmahkana]

Her getting shot 5 times was so funny. Just overkill. Obviously was targeted by like 3 orcs simultaneously randomly the 5 shots were so quick.

[@Saeronor]

@@Dilmahkana It's like NPC character transitioning into player control and suddenly everything actually kills you.

[@FredThePhoenix]

I REALLY appreciate your attitude towards Rings of Power, Men of the West. Negativity isn’t always toxic. This show doesn’t respect Tolkien at all and I wish people like Nerd of the Rings could really call that out instead of being so afraid to offend Amazon and lose all events and trips opportunities. Lots of young people are gonna be introduced to Tolkien through this show and it’s a DAMN shame. I just wanted to say that I appreciate your honesty for calling this show what is it! Are there some cool moments? Sure but overall, it’s a disgrace to Tolkien 😢

[@JulieMoran1832]

Nerd of the Rings has sold his soul for Hollywood access. Plain and simple. And it's yet another tragedy this show has produced. But it has also exposed a lot of so-called Tolkien devotees as weak and lacking any scruples. Now we know and when this show is gone, we'll not trust them with anything Tolkien ever again.

[@ArthurDeaville]

Blame Simon Tolkien then because he's the one signing off on everything.

[@buu88553]

I mean, kiss anywhere else but lips. Kiss the forehead works as kiss of death/goodbye, kiss the hair/head works for accepting sacrifice. Galadriel kissed Gandalf in the Hobbit, it wasn't weird.

[@mols0n]

naw that was weird as well, but not as weird as this

[@macdansav1546]

He passes her the key/pin to escape in his mouth with when he kisses her.

[@badgadfaddadaad]

No he doesn't ​@macdansav1546

[@buu88553]

@@macdansav1546 I thought that's what he was doing when I first watched it, cos I didn't frankly believe even these writers would stoop so low; word coming out that the scene was put in just for controversy's sake to get the show going viral, over some objections.

[@giveandtake8428]

He could have just hugged her.

[@Mystic_Christopher]

I just cannot stand how un-elf the elf characters are. They are acting more human than elven, and yeah, this version of Galadriel is terrible.

[@stanleyfranks9891]

Everyone in the Show is Human... Its Horrendous!! Too Have So Many Races To Create Actual Diversity and "They/Thems" just create Many Races Which all Act Human.. So Dumb

[@Rafael-xt1nm]

The Rings of Power has been an abomination throughout, but this episode literally looked like a group of cosplayers playing fantasy LMAO. The showrunners are honestly total narcissists. WHERE THE F*CK DID ALL THE MONEY GO????????

[@bulldogsbob]

I know you've gone out of your way not to hate on this show. This should be the last straw. Join the haters Yoystan

[@thewingedringer]

Together we shall turn toward Middle Earth

[@sternonisoil]

"Let the hate flow through you" 😁

[@Power_Prawnstar]

For frodo

[@theemissary1313]

"I was there, Gandalf, I was there when the strength of Yoystan's optimism failed"

[@pinkace]

Episodes 4 and 5 were actually really good though. Objectively good.

[@rosstrue3010]

The really annoying thing about the Elrond + Galadriel kiss is that he kisses her, and THEN hands off the lock pick, IN FULL VIEW of everyone in the tent. It should have been a hug or a light kiss, and then show us that he handed her the lock pick secretly between their bodies so no one could see it. So stupid...

[@nyr14]

The whole scene was pointless and contradictory. Elrond stops the charge then immediately tells us he’d let her die. So why not go through with the charge… and if you were really smart you’d go around Galadriel then free her. Then if they didn’t think we were stupid enough, Adar and Elrond end their scene with how they’re going to kill each other, yet Adar just lets him walk away. Instead of, I don’t know, capturing him too AND the ring of power he probably has. Geez I could go on and on. Sometimes I wish I was just flat out dumb, maybe things would be easier

[@Zorbatrog]

Absolutely right! In my case I was in such shock during and after the kiss I didn't notice the hand-off. But the orc looking on from just a couple of meters away! It's his job to observe what's going on in plain view! I re-watched this scene and it's clear as can be!

[@Iron_Wyvern]

The show is absolutely irredeemable.

[@MothGirl007]

Completely.

[@danwillburn]

Dead in the water.

[@eidolon-0696]

5:57 As a Wendy's assistant manager, I felt that reference. I am forever the Elrond to a very useless Gil-Galad

[@futbolusa]

People are complaining about the kiss but that wouldn’t even crack the top 10 dumb things in this episode. I for one found it hilarious

[@Soccercrazyigboman]

Yeah. It's wild how people are up in arms about it and ignore the million other horrible non sensical shit in this episode

[@morrgash]

I still don't understand how two directors without any previous experience on good famous shows landed this job??? like how?

[@janatman]

Apparently, JJ Abrams recommended and vouched for them. Between the Star Wars sequel and this abomination, JJ has a lot to answer for.

[@morrgash]

@@janatman Omg if that is true then that explains so much!

[@frankvandorp2059]

I also think that you don't need any experience to do a better job than these two dunces are doing. What kind of mind comes up with the idea to replace the central struggle of Numenor, mortal men's desire for immortality, with a cartoonish anti-immigration movement against elves tukkin der jerbs?

[@stanleyfranks9891]

They tried to Re-create How Peter Jackson was hired as a Nobody (not really) before Making LOTR's!!

[@Didymus20X6]

"If it didn't call itself 'Lord of the Rings,' I wouldn't [review it]." Of course not! Because then you wouldn't have to watch it at all!

[@kellyl7688]

If it wasn't Lord of the Rings, it wouldn't be as bad. Still horribly written, but at least watchable.

[@jordanmince7613]

​@@kellyl7688yeah if just a random show would be ok

[@thesinofpride9433]

This show has had the benefit of doubt too long. At this point it shouldn’t be read as anything else than spiteful hate-fiction. And do you know what I have to say to that? *Ishkakwi ai durugnul!*

[@realjohanngoethe]

I don't think their malicious, just incompetent.

[@konohashinobi71037]

​​@@realjohanngoethe I'd like to think so too, but at this point there is no way they aren't aware that this is an utter disrespect and a distortion of the lore. In my opinion, this show has always been extremely inaccurate to the lore, in addition to suffering from bad writing. And for a long time that could be attributed to willful, inexcusable ignorance. However at this point I cannot possibly believe that this is not deliberate. They have proven again and again that they care little, if at all for the writings of Tolkien, but even they must be aware not only of the contradictions to the lore, but also of the emotional reactions those would cause. I must say that after almost two Seasons , this complete incompatibility with the source material gladdens me in a way, because it has reached the point where it can not possibly stand as canon, not even to the most casual film fans, without contradicting every single other Tolkien media to the point of ridiculousness. For someone like me, who first read the LOTR and the Silmarillion at the age of 12 and fell in love with them, I could never have guessed that merely 5 years later I would be happy that this series has twisted the source material to the point that it is unrecognisable as anything related to Tolkien. I am far, far from the only one who feels this way and it is a sad fact. I am so sorry, this answer is much longer than I intended, however I have been wanting to say these things for a long time, and your comment gave me an excuse..😅

[@talyn7448]

@realjohanngoethe No, at this point, I'm convinced they are malicious. Any doubt that lingered was wiped with the Elrond and Galadriel kiss. They hate Tolkien's fans because we won't just roll over and let them shove their agenda down our throats.

[@thesinofpride9433]

@@konohashinobi71037 I’ll summarize it: there’s malice in the mix. I’ll confess, the PJ trilogy got me hooked. But i’ll never forget the day my dad bought me the Silm. That was quite a gift. It saddens me to see this material.

[@jakobschoning7355]

Stopping a cavalry-charge 10 meters before inpact with a hostage is so incredibly dumb... maybe ten guys out of hundreds would notice and even they could not stop because of the momentum of the troops behind them... nothing of this makes any sense

[@stetsonstarkey]

Honestly, your patience has been incredible. You have tried everything and given it the benefit of the doubt time after time. It's great to see Yoystan unleashed finally.

[@allcohoIic]

Justice for Glug, Glug Wife and Glug Junior! Also RIP Mike the troll, his arc was almost as good as Mike in Breaking Bad, such good cinema.

[@SullyRose15]

Crazy how there are some people out there who think this show is good. Is Amazon giving a little $$$ off to the the side???

[@Ankit-df8rw]

If you think you can do better go and do it yourself...big mouth

[@Didymus20X6]

@@Ankit-df8rw I've seen not a few YT LOTR lore channels that have pitched better shows based entirely on the appendices than this garbage show. It could be done. Here's why your argument is dumb: if I go to a 4-star restaurant and order an expensive meal, and all I get is a plate full of crap, I have a right to complain. The chef can't just say, "Cook your own meal yourself, big mouth!" You know why? Because I paid him to do a job, and he failed to do it. The same here: if Amazon is going to make this show, they need to do it right. Otherwise, the viewers have every right to call them out for their garbage. Whether or not I'm a professional writer, or whether or not I could do better (I bet if Bozos have me a billion dollars, I could - it wouldn't be that hard. And my first order of business would be to hire guys like Yoystan who know what they're talking about). So take your garbage argument and kick rocks.

[@Ankit-df8rw]

@@Didymus20X6 creating a movie and creating a youtube video are two different thing. Anybody can create can create a video after reading a book. Try doing the same for movie

[@Didymus20X6]

@@Ankit-df8rw Give me a billion dollars and I will. Come one. Put your money where your mouth is then. Your dismissal of YT videos doesn't make an adequate rebuttal; Star Wars Theory made his own Darth Vader movie, and by all accounts that was better than anything Disney's put out lately. And my restaurant analogy still stands: If I pay someone to make me a dish, and they fail at it, that doesn't delegitimize my complaint. Amazon DOES have billions of dollars, so their failure to make a halfway decent show has no excuse.

[@Ankit-df8rw]

@@Didymus20X6 if I had billions I would have done it myself or hire someone who knows unlike you who always comes up bullshit logic

[@RogueOstriches7]

Ya know we didn't technically see Arondir die. He was badly wounded but then they cut away from him so I'm not convinced he's dead. Also the kiss heard across (cause the earth ain't round atm) Arda....It takes a quick google search to realize Elrond is Galadriel's future son in law, come on. Also the CGI on Adar might've been a post production thing where they had to fill something with a body double and had to (poorly) cgi the actor's face on the body double.

[@Iron_Wyvern]

Honestly the metal song at the end was jarring and not at all Tolkeinian, and I'm a big metal head.

[@Didymus20X6]

Do you listen to Wind Rose?

[@thewingedringer]

I mean big deal. Doesn't really matter.

[@cosmicmuffin322]

It was sooo bad lol

[@frankvandorp2059]

That song was not Tolkienian, but neither was anything else this episode, so it was still the thing I enjoyed most. I'm not really sure it should classify as metal though, you can't be metal without at least one guitar.

[@Mystic_Christopher]

Out of place, just like the entire show itself.

[@jl8217]

There were some good things and a lot of bad in this episode. Annatar gaslighting Celebrimbor and Celebrimbor figuring out Annatar's deception was really well played and entertaining. The troll was pretty good, especially his evil laugh at the moment of his death. However, Elrond leading the elf forces whilst King Gil-Galad stood puffing in the background didn't make sense. Adar's face was immobile like a mask, which was distracting. Elrond kissing Galadriel was gross, she is married and as these guys say she is his future mother in law. The timeline was all over the place, how could the dwarves have marched from Khazad Dum to Eregion in the space of a night?

[@hopeg.p7707]

It’s kind of healing to have you guys to ease our pain (a bit) by talking to some intelligent fans who share real love/respect for Tolkien world🙏❤️

[@johns1625]

Yoystan, the path you walk is made of sea water, and the sea is always right. So keep your feet pointed downward, because not even a stone can look up like a boat can.

[@abelbabel8484]

Still better writing than the show

[@ColinWilliamsRGB]

wow well put

[@sandy-jn5rd]

at first I thought Elrond stuck the brooch inside G’s hair when he caressed her cheek. Because that was the hand that took it off. But no…. Somehow, his left hand passed the brooch to his right hand, without the orcs noticing. Like when??

[@solaawodiya7360]

This episode broke me. I gave them a chance, wanted the show to succeed but honestly at this stage I want them to fail. Complete hubris thinking because they have money, they can get any franchise and modernise a classic and best fantasy of all time. What a perversion of Tolkiens works

[@alexs4392]

Weird that the vast majority of the internet are at the same time saying this is the best episode of the season

[@brucedewitt4994]

I admire the amount of grace you've given this show up to this point (though I don't agree that it's warranted), but I admire even more your swift condemnation of the show when it does something you can't forgive. Thank you for being charitable and respectful while still standing up for Tolkien's works with integrity!

[@enemy-rogue]

Why are they making the elves so childishly human. Not even human human, but teenage tantrum human. Elves are suppost to be above that, both inherently and by their ancient age. Imagine being thousands of years old and basically a walking archive of knowledge and wisdom to act as a 15 yo cringer. PJ really nailed the elves in how they seem almost half present because their very advanced minds and reality.

[@Lord_Nordan]

Sauron takes many forms, and one of his forms is a vampire. It would have been awesome to see him have vampire like powers instead of simple telekinesis.

[@NiranjanNanda]

The only guy who enjoys this show is “nerd of the rings”…he’s in the process of becoming an orc 😂😂😂😂

[@markstott6689]

😂😂😂

[@sarwatarannya8786]

I mean he's enjoying while also giving criticism and not calling anyone who disliked it bigots or nerds or chuds or etc. Completely fine with that.

[@thewingedringer]

To be fair... I only find myself rooting for orcs in this show. Even when that Troll came I was very happy to see someone cave in that wall. That's how great the writing is. The best written characters are Orcs.

[@MC-810]

You mean “shill of the rings”. That guy is so in bed with Amazon he’ll lose his insider status and his access to everything that he uses for his content. Let’s call it like it is, in terms of this show he’s been bought.

[@M4tJa2]

Have you seen his watchparty videos? He barely says anything positive about the show there. He is not super negative.

[@neylina8384]

This whole Galadriel nonsense would make so much more sense, if her name was Celebrian and she was a actually young elve who might be naive in her youth.. and not several thousand years old

[@GeneSysFNLT]

Celebrian's mom has got it goin' on!

[@MrsMacLover]

we've arrived at the mother in law teleporno stage 😂

[@jonathancurtis5122]

Is that a guy named Brian that likes celery too much?

[@talyn7448]

​@jonathancurtis5122 In this show? Might as well be.

[@Saeronor]

@@jonathancurtis5122 Teleporno approves.

[@scdavis5074]

Who designed those awful helmets the Lindon elves were wearing. Looks cartoonish

[@captaincole4511]

This show is just like the sequel trilogy for star wars to me. It never even existed. Just imagine it as the director’s billion dollar fan fiction

[@Dilmahkana]

ROP and IX is a good comparison. Fan servicey, rushed, unprepared, odd decisions that diminish characters, nothing interesting on its own.

[@sandy-jn5rd]

and the asian archer elf is Rian, she was their archer when they got waylaid by the … chain wraiths … wights… in the woods. She was supposed to be top brass. Then Elrond let her die so easy duh.

[@karenhall4645]

Does anything in the actual lore even suggest that Galadriel and Elrond were even friends? They've been pushing this close personal friendship since the first episode of season 1.

[@Jauhl1]

When Elrond set up Rivendell with refugees from Eregion, Celeborn and Galadriel helped him. Celeborn being kin and all.

[@bosskoala7]

Not watching the series and just getting updated through your vids. I literally almost puked out of discuss when I heard the Elrond / Galadriel thing. I mean at this point it’s just pure trolling. Any proper fan knows that elves literally fall in love only once in their entire lives.

[@markstott6689]

I don't watch it either. I also feel queasy at the kiss. Snogging your own mother in law is grim.

[@bosskoala7]

@@moon-moth1 yeah saw it now. I puked for a second time

[@JulieMoran1832]

The kiss was the showrunners way of rage-baiting us. And it kinda worked because they truly could have done ANYTHING other than a kiss on the lips and made that work because it's RoP and nothing really works when the inept showrunners are in charge. And they wrote this script so....

[@dmdebruijn]

I wish you had come to it without calming down. I now again was able to feel the true respect for the Lore you have, and I had been missing that!

[@MrWolfman229]

I am so happy to finally hear you break and name it for the fraud that it is. Thank you for trying to be positive and being a devoted fan of Tolkien. Your channel really is a gem for anyone interested in Tolkien!

[@VVEGA2940]

I cannot fathom why anyone would ever find ROP Galadriel attractive, when she has one of the mose hideous persobalities I've ever seen in a character

[@NerdCookies]

Love the rant! This show is beyond atrocious. 🤣

[@andreasmith5396]

I think the Balrog is gonna kill the King

[@richardwallis9374]

Durin’s Bane is gonna bane Durin?!? No way

[@pinkace]

@@richardwallis9374 LMAO ruthless bro.

[@neemz0117]

​@@richardwallis9374 I audibly laughed at that.

[@andreasmith5396]

@@richardwallis9374because the King went down in there alone

[@ChrisGrahamkedzuel]

@@richardwallis9374except he’s baning the wrong Durin!

[@NoQuarterNoMercy1]

The only elf that acts like an elf is the elf that looks least like an elf. Go figure.

[@Kalafinwë]

I couldn't believe they put a song like that for the credits... What was it ? Hard metal ? I am not trashing the genre, in fact, I quite like it. But for this episode ? For this ending ? It doesn't fit, it doesn't match with the ambiance and the cliffhanger.

[@tjk3430]

It was like they were trying too hard.

[@cholst1]

Got whiplash like mad, it was completely dumb.

[@ThePlanetJupiter]

Worked for me. I enjoyed it.

[@Dilmahkana]

Maybe should've put it last ep? Big fire ball coming to the screen, war imminent *Meshuggah metal music*

[@smelisi]

Funny how the producers argued that their compression of time in the show was because Men die much sooner than Elves and so they didn’t want to cast actors and then have them disappear. Yet they keep killing off people, many of them Elves!!!

[@markstott6689]

This is a grim day, a dark day. What makes it feel worse is the thought in my head: People who no nothing of Tolkien's writing will probably have been cheering Elrond on for snogging Galadriel. They won't have realised she's his mother in law. However, Amazon no longer cares under the assumption that no real Tolkien fan is watching anymore, so it doesn't matter what they do. At this point do we laugh or cry? 😢😢😂❤😂😢😢

[@QCMP]

In the show she's not his mother-in-law. In the books, she is. In reality, both don't exist as they are fictional characters.

[@Didymus20X6]

@@QCMP And why are any of those statements relevant? Are you just typing random words for no reason?

[@jrconway3]

​@@QCMPIn the books she's not his mother in law in the second age anyway. However, she is married and he was long interested in her daughter anyway.

[@markstott6689]

​@JM-jj3eg Your defence of this nonsense is stoic. However, in the grand scheme of things, you're an irrelevance.

[@markstott6689]

​@Didymus20X6 He's an irrelevant apologist for Amazon Studios. Thus lower than the lowest worm that crawls on its belly across Middle Earth. 😂

[@markgregorygacosta531]

This is the most furious you have ever been about this dig shit show, and im loving it! keep it up

[@Didymus20X6]

Well, think of it this way: if they hadn't had Galadriel making out with Elrond, they would have had her making out with Sauron. He could have given her a hug and called her Mom. That would have worked.

[@Chociewitka]

I think this is RoP's revenge on the Tolkien Estate for not selling them enough rights. So they now willingly destroy in front of the audience what they have the rights to.

[@luischua3135]

It can still happen with Sauron... we'll never know with this show 🙃

[@zackc3767]

Gil Galad was High King of the Noldor for ~3500 yrs. Sam was singing about him 3000 yrs after his death at the hands of Sauron and these writers are just trampling on him.

[@zackc3767]

Elves are supposed to be centuries old and masters of warfare and they fight like a peasant unit from Rome Total War in this show.

[@HikariHellion]

The number of storytelling mistakes I've been hearing about in this show is making me SCREAM, oh my gods. The vibes ROP is giving off for me is it's a cash grab. It's a show made for people who want to look at pretty visuals, without having to engage in a compelling story.

[@MovieTacular]

I am now convinced the show is just a joke. There's really nothing else to explain HOW something this bad can be written

[@elMentity]

16:00 Hmm I don't think they actually did know that Sauron was in Eregion did they? Didn't Celebrimbor lie to them folks in Lindon? I'm not always the most observant though I might have missed the memo.

[@sandy-jn5rd]

Gil-Galad figured it out. He was staring at the letter. Then he hinted at Elrond to go ask Durin to help, so he went. Word is that Elrond is still there waiting for the dwarves to come.

[@Ka_T_ya]

Like i already commented on another place about the “ kiss”. It’s quite obvious imo , is t it ? The showrunners have never hid their hatred towards the Tolkien fandom . They did it on purpose , they wanted to trigger the fandom with a direct “ f u “ in our face . Because they can , they have the money and the green light for 5 seasons . And it will get people to talk about them even more , because more people will hate watch . Because it will give them clout and will get the weapon to antagonize the fandom even more . But the worst part is , even when we throw all the lore logic out of the window , it’s just so poorly written and most of the acting is subpar as well. And even the worse-er part is , there are people out there who still try to excuse it , and even try twisting Tolkien’s words for that and go as far as calling it “ lore accurate “.

[@Kyle-sr6jm]

Keep it in the family, Elrond.

[@paulturner4684]

It is beyond bizarre that they're cribbing notes for scenes from one of the creepiest aspects of Twilight. Like Elrond is going to "imprint" of Celebrian when he sees her as a baby???

[@titeveggvutnm1883]

😂 Yeah. Just, why?

[@Cenan80]

How much you want to bet Sauron will use Mirdania's hair or her remains as a component in producing the One Ring?

[@alexshellnot4407]

This was such a cathartic analysis to listen to. Felt. So real.

[@Andy__A]

What triggered me the most was 1) Celebrimbor continuing to craft rings after he recognises Sauron (what for?), and 2) Ring-less Darth Sauron making the elf guards kill each other (how could anyone, let alone man Isildur, come close to Sauron if he's wielding such telekinesis)

[@pinkace]

The credits song was worth the entire episode LMAO.

[@bubblehulk7647]

It was unbelievable. for better or worse.

[@pinkace]

@@bubblehulk7647 there's no worse here bubbaleh, it was an epic song beginning to end and worth the entire episode, I mean that shit LOL. I just put it on my phone!!!

[@cybermozzie]

This is what happens when bad fanfiction desecrates the universe to which it claims fealty. Awful mess of a show.

[@calebroberts08]

Thought experiment: If you changed the place and character names and then changed the rings to orbs or something, would you even know this was LOTR/Tolkien? I doubt it

[@christianefiorito3204]

Yoisten Celebrimbor and Sauron, the two Charlies carry the show. But there is a glitch in the Matrix. And Elrond kissed his mother in law. This episode broke me. Arondir really is a good elve, but without Bronwyn he lacks purpose. Either they revive him and give him a purpose or he died with Bronwyn. Maybe this show should end after this season. How can you vibe in a series without any emotions. For example when Mirdania dies, nobody really gives a damn. I really tried, but I finally gave up.

[@PixieMermaid-fz9rt]

Yeah when Mirdania died I cared just as much as the characters did, which was not at all 😂

[@nyr14]

I actually burst out laughing… I mean you’re an apprentice level craftsman, what’re you doing on the battlements bud?😂😂

[@Saeronor]

@@nyr14 If someone in RoP writeroo room suddenly did something radical like rubbing two braincells together and asked this question, then who knows? Legendary craftsmen could be a perfectly good explanation for those white phosphorus / napalm discs, for example - and for anything else, right out of Archimedes' playbook. But nah.

[@Faktor13]

Actually the kiss was by far not of the worst part of the episode, in my tip worst moments I am not sure if it even made the list. Hitting a mountain with trebuchet to generate a rock slide that happens to perfectly bloch a river the size of the Nile(!!) and no water spills over this impromptu dam has to be one of the most insane things I ever watchen in a TV series. Second would be 500 horses doing a full charge and perfectly stopp within 20 yards 3 feet in front of the enemy line. oh and they looked at the Acolyte and said: you got burning stone? Wait to see how much stone WE can set on fire

[@jakobschoning7355]

And when the water (illogically) stops it just leaves an easily traversable field behind that can be crossed by siege Engines...

[@jojobookish9529]

💯 agree about Arondir. I stopped watching mid S1, but he was the only Elf who *felt* like an Elf.

[@FieryReborn]

Daemon eating out his mom or Elrond kissing his step mother. Which was more out of line

[@Didymus20X6]

Mother-in-law.

[@TheTheKraven]

Ngl in Game of Thrones by this point you are used to the incesty kinda shit. In Rings of Power however... this just makes Elrond look way worse... in a 'if I can't have her I'll settle for her daughter that has yet to be born' (heck even conceived) Which is kinda next lvl Grooming ngl

[@thewingedringer]

What did I just read? By my beard.

[@Groggen]

Regarding the "defence" of the kiss scene... Sure, the point is to let Elrond slip a lockpick to Galdriel but the framing of the scene gives another impression. Swelling music, bedroom eyes, camera angles etc gives it a romantic touch that is completely unnessesary and "wrong" if the only point is some sleight of hand.

[@csnow414]

The elf that we...err the show didn't deserve.

[@justinstoll4955]

Really all this show has done well is driven me to go back and read all the other Tolkien writings (and replay Shadow of Mordor) I never read. Now I've read most of Tolkien's stuff and am reading my six year old daughter The Hobbit. But this show's writing is abysmal.

[@jaedenbennett6931]

As someone who isn't watching this, I'm so confused about everything that's going on in this show

[@happylemurcomics]

at this point we don’t even know who this show is for, it certainly isn’t for fans. it isn’t for newcomers either. everybody notices bad writing and this was on the wall in season 1.

[@unclephillymya]

16:22 "what do you think ryan ?? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA" 😂😂😂😂😂

[@CommunityFan]

Saw people genuinely defend the kiss as "Oh it's just shock value" and "Oh it'll probably lead nowhere". It doesn't matter, it's poor writing and shock value is a poor excuse. It leading nowhere adds even LESS of a reason for the kiss cause it was meaningless in the show as well as real life

[@Didymus20X6]

But those are precisely reasons it SHOULDN'T BE THERE. The defenses are basically arguments against it.

[@CommunityFan]

@@Didymus20X6 agreed. It's meaningless, it's not nitpicky, it's bad writing and terrible character decisions. It could've been a kiss on the forehead or a hug but nope, had to make it a romance.

[@jrconway3]

The only thing I argue against the kiss is the "he's her mother-in-law" argument, because he's not. They're immortal elves, and Galadriel, in-universe, believes her husband is dead, so both are technically single. So I don't think this is a good argument in-universe. I have seen the argument about Celebrian not being born yet, though, and yes, that is a problem. That's why I think Celebrian is born and they're just going to introduce her before the series is over and simply say "well, nobody mentioned her yet... nobody said Galadriel didn't already have a daughter with Celeborn before Celeborn's disappearance". (She's probably in Lorien, which canonically is where Celebrian is at the time. Of course, Galadriel is supposed to be in Lorien at this time, too.) Similarly, Celeborn is either Adar corrupted, or he's going to randomly show up and be alive somehow.

[@CommunityFan]

@jrconway3 it isn't a good argument in universe however they know people would be weirded out by it by a writing perspective. If they make Adar Celeborn, that'll be a yikers.

[@hero0fcanton190]

Kissing as a distraction is just a cliche. Wasn't about romance, was about passing an escape tool to her with arousing suspicion. Usually used in spy movies mostly.

[@Nealikus]

I imagine at the beginning of the writing process someone chimed in and said “hey I don’t think it happened like that in our source material,” only to be met with the mantra of the show: “Who cares”

[@dareedle]

This is a modern retelling of Lord of the Ring with familiar characters from his novel and not in lore characters. The fact this was made after Chris Tolkien passed means this was never going to be faithful to the novels Saying it hundred times in a review won't change that.

[@Breadbutta4]

The page Random Film Talk is a must watch for season 1 and 2. He breaks down every episode from a writing, characterization, and plot perspective which is a good compliment to pages dedicated to Tolkien like Nerd. It really hits on just how fractured the writing has been. Not to mention the timelines

[@Power_Prawnstar]

Given theres no big name actors in this show, where is the money going? They have 15 extras from what I can tell. Someones stealing, and not just Tolkiens life work

[@Sportsfilmappreciator]

Simon Tolkien?

[@dianabriggs1032]

A friend of mine pitched the idea last night that all these big-budget flops are secretly some form of money laundering. Hollywood accounting has always been basically witchcraft so it could make sense, though I have no idea what specifically would need to happen there. It’s fishy that such big projects have been handed to people with relatively little show running experience. And the money sure ain’t on screen.

[@kotarojujo2737]

er... Sir Lenny Henry is pretty big name in Uk

[@Power_Prawnstar]

@@kotarojujo2737 never heard of him. I'm Australian.

[@davidgarridoecunha7102]

What you said about Adar is true, in the end I was like: I think we are supposed to be to want the orcs to win ? 🤔

[@troyelam8978]

I cannot believe there is a Tolkien show that I find myself checking my phone while watching it! Amazon has committed a complete sacrilege!

[@abetterday-8201]

Why does Sauron need the rings if he can mind control a group of elves to kill each other

[@TheTheKraven]

Elrong kissing his future mother-in-law of his as of yet unborn unconceived wife. Doesn't this also imply that he groomed her daughter... because he couldn't get her... I mean it kinda makes Elrond a pdf in a way if you think about it... Ngl the incest in GoT bothers me less for some reason... ._. This literally was the lowest the show got for me and that moment could and SHOULD have been left out... At this point I expect them to kill of Gil-Galad at this point him passing his ring unto Elrond because that's where it ends up in the end. But mostly the reason I think this is because I genuinenly wouldn't be surprised the writers don't know Gil-Galad dies at the war of the last alliance. And since it was only in deleted footage of the movie...

[@nyr14]

Luckily, he’s in the opening scene when the three Elves show off their rings. Sadly, I don’t think they care enough to find that out. Just like they didn’t care to find out the actual order the rings were made in.

[@Jauhl1]

Galadriels daughter is 1200 years old at this time and will not marry Elrond for another 2000 years.

[@fortunateson101]

The Rings of Power is to Tolkien as Raygun is to break-dancing.

[@titeveggvutnm1883]

Season 1 was not good. Season 2 feels like an intentional insult. When I found out Prime was going to make this show it was so exciting. I’d heard Jeff Bezos is a big Tolkien fan, and so, I’d assumed that we were going to get something pretty special. At no point did it even occur to me that I’d love it as much as LOTR, so it’s not that I’m expecting my world to be changed (the way LOTR did). But this, this show feels like the product of an A.I. focus group with the addition of gobs of spit as the cherries on top. Long Live Arondir (ROPs only elf)

[@earlsfield]

This thing has nothing to do with Tolkien or anything, this is not even fan fiction. The single scene where Galadriel says "this is MY ring" explains how much whoever created this crap is void of any understanding of the core of this cannon.

[@conormurphy4328]

I won’t lie, as somebody who disliked the first season and was bias against this season this video is very cathartic.